Mastering the Art of Video in B2B: It’s All in the Psychology

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Tyler is the VP of Marketing at Vidyard, a pioneer and leading global provider of video marketing and video analytics solutions for the enterprise. In this role, Tyler drives global marketing and brand strategy for Vidyard, as well as thought leadership programs in the areas of content marketing and sales enablement. Prior to joining Vidyard, Tyler was the Chief Marketing Officer at Fixmo and Vice President of Global Alliances at BlackBerry. Tyler is a passionate marketing, product and business development executive with over 15 years of experience in high growth technology markets.

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Tyler Lessard, VP of Marketing, Vidyard talks about the psychology of why humans are hardwired to love video, and how B2B marketing and sales teams can capitalize on that to use video in a way that really moves the needle

Here are two staggering facts: 1.5 billion people—or a fifth of the world’s entire population—now visit YouTube each month to watch videos on the platform. At the same time, more than 20 billion videos are viewed every single day on Facebook and SnapChat alone.

These are astonishing figures, but ones that shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, in today’s increasingly connected world, there’s an abundance of information out there, and a variety of channels by which to receive it. Video—quick, dynamic and entertaining—is emerging as the natural choice over more traditional formats, like text or still images. But why?

There is a biological basis to our inclination toward video. 90% of information transmitted to the human brain is visual, and we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Visual content is also more likely to trigger emotional responses—such as laughter, excitement, progression or human empathy—which we find personally rewarding. Put simply, video is like candy for the brain. It’s probably why 76 percent of executives now watch business videos at least once a week, including 40 percent who view them daily.

With its growing popularity, businesses are jumping on board with video to fuel both their marketing and sales strategies with successful and (er…) less successful outcomes. The key to success with video is to understand why it works and to apply those fundamentals to how you tell your stories and connect with potential buyers using this powerful medium. Here are a few ideas on how to best use video based on the psychology of how, and why, it works:

Tell a story. It’s been a winning strategy … for millions of years. Over the past decade the concept of ‘storytelling’ has been so widely touted in marketing circles, it’s become practically trite. But in this case, trite works. The human brain instinctively responds to stories because they are how we have processed our most important information for millions of years: think cave drawings, Greek mythology, Reddit, Netflix.

In short, stories aren’t just something we listen to and forget. They actually help us to better understand larger concepts—like survival tactics, social values, universal truths and more—that we can apply more broadly to our lives (and our jobs!). Take, for example, a cave drawing that shows a risky hunting scene. From that, a viewer could have learned what dangerous situations to avoid and perhaps even gained insight on how to improve their hunting strategy. Throughout history, our brains have evolved to process stories because they teach us insanely important concepts that help us survive and thrive.

Volvo’s recent Live Tests campaign is a great example of successful storytelling through video. The series has not only received industry praise and won prestigious advertising awards, each campaign video has been a runaway success helping Volvo expand its reach and further its brand. From a professional ballerina to an adorable 4-year-old to action film superstar Jean Claude Van Damme, each segment in the series features a single ‘protagonist’ put in a remarkable situation involving a Volvo truck. It’s basic storytelling, executed with finesse.

According to Volvo’s vice president marketing communications Lars Terling, the secret behind the series’ success was taking “a multilevel storytelling approach,” to appeal to a variety of audiences. Take it from one of the world’s top automotive brands: When you’re embarking on video for business, always remember to tell a story. It’s a proven way to maximize engagement with audiences and to get them remember your message.

B2B > H2H. Add the human touch (or a face) and draw viewers in. Last year, technology giant Intel released a hilarious B2B video series that replaces an HDMI cable with people (literally) with difficult personalities, including a tantrum-throwing child and a frustratingly unreliable man. By humanizing a very non-human business object, Intel was able to captivate audiences in a memorable and engaging way.

When using video, try to leverage our natural desire to connect with one another through faces. Humans are naturally drawn to faces, right from the start. Studies have shown that babies process faces long before they recognize other objects.

Meanwhile, other research suggests a deep, evolutionary reason for our attraction to faces: Human survival depends so heavily on other humans, so the brain may be hardwired to seek out others whenever it can. This also means for video, incorporate people as much as possible. We're more likely to trust messages when we see them being delivered by a human face, and when we can track facial expressions and body language.

Bring emotion into the mix. Pulled heartstrings and haha moments drive action. A few years back, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals released a powerful commercial featuring a montage of homeless cats and dogs with unbearably sad music playing in the background. The ad was not only memorable, it was hugely successful for the ASPCA, which raised $30 million for the organization in the first two years of its release.

The success of the ASPCA’s campaign can undoubtedly be attributed to its evocation of emotion in viewers. Decades of research have shown how emotion influences human decision making in a major way. Emotion, used effectively, can really ignite your audiences to take action. On the flipside, if sadness doesn’t suit your campaign, humor is another powerful emotion to consider tapping into. Adobe’s “Mean Streets” video—in which a desperate CMO goes searching for elusive clicks—is a hilarious, on-point example of how effective humor can be when done right, especially in B2B where audiences aren’t expecting it.

Some studies have shown that emotional content can be twice as effective as purely rational content in consumers evaluating brands. Explore ways to add an emotional element into your videos. It’s a surefire approach to connect with your audience in more powerful and meaningful ways ... and simultaneously inspire them to action.

What does this mean for modern marketing and sales professionals? It means that video can help you connect with more buyers, build stronger relationships and ultimately close more deals—if you leverage it in the right way.

For marketers, it means a shift to visual storytelling that taps into both our rational and emotional minds throughout the entire buyer’s journey. Think funny promo videos, educational explainers, inspiring thought leadership and empathetic customer stories - all featuring real people who can convey real messages. For sales teams, it means using video to connect with prospects in a more human way and to build a greater sense of trust. Think personal video messaging to establish and maintain a strong connection coupled with emotional customer stories and inspiring thought leadership to drive immediate action.

Thanks to millions of years of conditioning and hardwiring, video has the potential to transform how we market and sell in the B2B world. And thankfully, after millions of years, we’ve figured out how to make video simple and inexpensive to create, publish and share with the masses. The table is set, and the good news is you can skip right to the dessert.